Rail-joint



M. J. WIGHTMAN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I2, 191?.

1,343,070. Patented June 8, 1920.

Merle J Mia/2102a:

354; y um/nu i I V MERLE J. WIGHTMAN, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR,BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO RAILWAYS ACCESEEORIES CGMPANY, OF SEATTLE,Vii-LSHINGTON, A

CGLZLPORATION OF "WASHINGTON.

BAIL-JOINT.

Application filed September 12, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERLE J. VVIGHTMAN, citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of ivashin ton,have invented a certain new and USQIUl Improvement in Rail-Joints, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail joints and moreparticularly it relates to improvements in "ail joints, one of which isdescribed in United States Letters "Patent No. 1,183,260, granted to meon date oi May 16, 1916 and the object of my present invention (likethat of the invention disclosed by said Patent do. 1,183,260) is toprovide a rail joint so constructed that the abutting ends of contiguousrails shall be sounited that there shall be no relative motion of saidabutting ends, and that any waye action under the weight of a passingtrain shall be the same through the rail joint as it is throughout thelengths of said rails, and that the top su faces of the heads of saidrails shall be maintained in alineinent as rigidly and iirinly as theywould be ii-they were welded together; but, a further ob ect of mypresent invention is to provide a rail. joint which shall enibody partsso constructed and so associated with the tie upon which said rail jointis located that said parts and said tie shall conjointly act as ananchor or anti-creeper, to prevent the oined rails from creeping ormoving in lengthwise directions in response to the travel oi heavilyloaded trains on said rails.

l accomplish these objects by devices llustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the abutting end portionsof two rails joined by a rail joint embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the same in side elevation; I

Fig. 3 is a view or the same in vertical section on broken line 3, 3 ofFig. 1; and

Fig. iis a perspective view oi an important detail of the same.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numeralsindicate like parts, the abutting end portions of two rails 5 and 6 areunited by fish plates 7 and 8 which, in the usual manner, are fastenedthereto by bolts 9 and 10.

As indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, each of the Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 8, 112241.,

Serial Ho. 190,870.

fish plates 7 and S is provided with an integral flange, as flanges 11and 12 respectively, that projects outwardly from its bottom edgeportion for a distance beyond the adjacent edges of the base portions ofthe rails 5 and 6, a portion of the under side surface of said flangebeing evenly seated on the top surfaces oi" said i ase portions of therails 5 and 6, and the surface of the top edge portion of said fishplate being in engagement with the under side surfaces oi the heads oatsaid rails 5 and 6.

The outer edges of the flanges 11 and 12 throughout the distance letweentheir respective opposite ends are curved to form an arc of a truecircle, as shown more clearly in Fig. l.

The abutting end portions of the rails 5 and 6 being securely united bythe fish plates 7 and 8, the flanges 11 and 12 of said tish plates aredisposed in an arch-like relation to a supporting tie plate, of the formshown by perspective view in Fig. 1, the curved outer edges of saidflanges 11 and 12 being disposed to engage with and to be supported bythe upwardly diverging surfaces lei of the inner sides oi oppositelydisposed curved flanges 15 and 16, respectively, which are integral withand project upwardly from two spaced horizontal portions 1'? of saidsupporting tie plate.

As thus disposed, the abutting end portions of the rails 5 and 6 serveas the key member of an arch whose other members include the fish plates7 and 8, their integral flanges 11 and 12, and the flanges 15 and 16 oithe supporting tie plate.

It is manifest that by reason of the bolts 9 and 10, and the curvededges of the flanges 11 and 12 disposed in engagement with the surfaceslei oi the curved flanges 15 and 16, the rails 23 and 6 cannot be movedin endwise directions with respect to the support ing tie plate.

The supporting tie plate is disposed with its two spaced. horizontalportions 17 resting on the top surface of a railroad tie 18, whichhorizontal portions 17 are united by integral flanges 19 which extenddownwardly preferably in diverging planes from the opposite edgeportions thereof to engage with the upper corner edges of the oppositevertical. sides of said tie 18, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2. Theangular or inclined arrangement of the flanges 19 insures a snugengagement thereof with the railroad tie and provides an arrangementwhereby the device wedgingly engages the tie to insure against sidewisemovement of the device. This arrangement also enables the device to befirmly positioned on ties of differing widths as will be apparent.

' Between the two spaced flanges 15, and between the two spaced flanges16 of the supporting tie plate, the horizontal portions 17 are eachprovided with a recess, as recesses 20, through which a rail spike, likethe rail spikes 21 and22, may be driven to extend downwardly into therailroad tie 18 until its head forcibly engages with the upper side ofthe edge portion of the adjacent one of the flanges 11 and 12 asinclicated more clearly in Fig. 8.

Thus, the spikes 21 and 22, by their engagement with the walls of therecesses 20, act conjointly with the flanges 19 of the tie plate toanchor said tie plate against sidewise movements on the railroad tie 18,while the curved surfaces 14; of the several flanges 15 and 16 by theirconfined engagement with the curved edges of the flanges l1 and12,1'espectively, serve to anchor the fish plates '7 and 8 and thejoined rails 5 and 6 against movements in lengthwise directions of saidrails 5 and 6.

Obviously, the dimensions, and to some extent, the forms andarrangementof parts of my rail joint, may be changed without departing from thespirit of my invention.

hat I claimis i 1. A rail joint of the class described which embodies atie plate that includes two spaced and horizontally disposed flatportions that are integrally united by flanges which project downwardlyfrom the side edge portions thereof, each of said flat portions beingprovided with a recess disposed in its inner edge portion and both ofsaid inner edge portions having integral, curved flanges that projectdivergingly upward therefrom. V

2. A rail joint of the class described which embodies a tie plate thatincludes two spaced and horizontally disposed flat portions that areintegrally united by flanges which project downwardly from the side edgeportions thereof, both of the inner edge portions of said flat portionshav ing integral, curved flanges that project divergingly upwardtherefrom. 7

3. A rail joint comprising, in combination with a supporting'tie havingopposite flat vertical sides, a tie plate including a flat portionconstituting a horizontal tie bearing surface, and dependent flangesintegral with said flat portion and inclined outwardly from the verticalto produce angular engagements thereof with the flat vertical sides ofthe tie, said flanges projecting downwardly from the opposite side edgesof said flat portion.

a. A rail joint comprising, in combina-' tion with a supporting tiehaving opposite flat vertical sides, a tie plate including a pair ofspaced horizontal flat portions united by dependent flanges whichproject downwardly from the opposite side edges nally curved flangesthat project upwardly therefrom.

6. A rail oint includ ng a tie plate havnally curved flanges thatproject divergingly upward therefrom.

7. A rail joint including a tie plate having a pair of spaced sideflanges connected by an outwardly curved upwardly extending flange.

8. A rail joint including a tie plate having a pair of spaced sideflanges connected by an outwardly curved and outwardly inclined upwardlyextending flange.

9. A rail joint including a tie plate having a pair of spaced sideflanges connected by an outwardly inclined upwardly extending flange.

10. A rail joint including a tie plate hav ing a flat horizontal portionprovided with downwardly projecting spaced side flanges, and spacedcurved flanges projecting upwardly from said horizontal portion.'

11. A rail joint including a tie plate having a flat horizontal portionprovided with downwardly projecting side flanges, and spaced curvedflanges projecting divergingly upward from said horizontal portion.

12. A rail joint including a tie plate having a flat horizontal portionprovided with downwardly projecting side flanges, V and spaced flangesprojecting divergingly upward from said horizontal portion.

13. A rail joint including a tie plate hav- 7 ing a flat horizontalportion provided with downwardly projecting and diverging side flanges,and spaced curved flanges project- 7 ing upwardly from said horizontalportion.

14. A rail joint including. a tie plate ha ing a pair of spacedoppositely longitudinally curved flanges that project divergingly upwardtherefrom, and apair of fish plates having bottom flanges with outwardlylongitudinally curved edges engaging the inner faces of said curveddiverging flanges. I

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my7name this 10th day ofSeptemben'A. D. 191

MERLE J. WIGHTMAN.

ing a pair of spaced oppositely longitudi

